I Am Not Perfect
by IfWritersCouldSpeak
Summary: For fashionablyobsessed's Challenge. Nina Martin is fifteen and an orphan. She runs from the "Perfect" Council and their "Perfect" world, because she is not. Her forced husband is dragged with her, and he once believed in the "Perfect" life, and he must save her and himself, before they are both dead. T for mild violence and Character Death. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys, IfWritersCoudldSpeak here,**

**So I LOVE fashionablyobsessed and I think she is phenomenal so I had to enter her challenge. I chose Perfection and I hope you enjoy!**

**God, I'm scared.**

My grandmother was fifteen when the guards knocked on her door and shot her husband.

My mother was fifteen when she had me, before dying due to complications.

Now, I, Nina Martin, myself am fifteen, a woman in the eyes of The Council, and I am hunted.

But The Council could never find me…

…I would find them.

It was early March, when the last species of birds begin to reappear, their dark, bitter, cold days over. I still cover myself with my sheet, more than one if Victor allows it, which is never.

By fifteen you had to take the test. They would take you, mess with your mind, squeeze out all your errors, your mistakes and make you perfect.

Perfect.

That seven-letter word was everything in our world. "Perfect" was a not even a word anymore, it was a phrase. After age fifteen it wasn't, "He looks perfect," or "She sings perfectly," no, it was just perfect.

She is perfect, my mother said, her last words, as the nurse recalled, She is perfect, and she's mine.

Today was the eighth, and I went to school. My bag was not strapped across my body like it used to. In fact, last night, my final night at the orphanage, I took the bag, and dumped out all the contents on the floor. My room was packed, a half-full box in the corner that contained everything I wanted.

My notes littered the floor yesterday, and I took them all and dumped them into the trash, not giving them a second thought. The government knew how to perfect me, they would know I didn't care about how a cell divided or how a train operated; they would probably give me some stupid job like housewife or chambermaid or something.

The rest of the contents were dumped as well, mainly school stuff. I was about to give up and throw it all away, when I got up to replace the trash bag, full of useless materials, and stepped on something. I screamed quietly, knowing that this was Victor's Study Hour, and if I interrupted the master of the house that he would make _sure _I got a pathetic job tomorrow.

I wiped away the blood streaming from my foot, and covered it with spare gauze in my room.

I looked down to find the thing that caused the injury as a mirror, now shattered. I looked into to see my face, dirty and ugly as the kids as school would say.

Why couldn't they have made me perfect earlier?

I whispered good-bye to my school, as it had been the only place where I could laugh and cry at the same time. I filed myself in line amongst the other kids, who were anxious as to what their futures held.

Me? I just wanted it to be over with.

We sat down in the plastic chairs of the auditorium, waiting for The Council opening speech. By the time the members had stood on stage, the entire room was hushed, no one wanting to The Council to view them as an ImPerfect, and sentencing them underground.

"Welcome," the blonde female in red, stunning us with her beauty. Only then did every girl in the room, realize they would become as beautiful as her, in only a few minutes. "You have all turned fifteen, announcing your coming of age into adulthood. We are The Council, the five most important members of your government. Defy us, and the consequences as severe." Every person in the room fidgeted uncomfortably, but the blonde woman smiled, "but of course, you know this, so let's continue. You are all shaped to become perfect, to show every one of you as a person beneficial to the government. You are all ready to move forward in life, and I want you to be confident that you cannot make any mistakes now, and the ones you have made will be forgotten. You are getting new lives, new careers, and you do not need to worry about messing up because you never will." She smiled again, showing off pearly white teeth, "You'll be perfect."

Next thing I knew, it was dark.

**I know, short, stupid, but I will make up for it. You will love me again. (At least I hope you currently love me.) **

**See ya next time!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**


	2. Chapter 2

**OMG, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I was so shocked; I thought people would hate it. I hope fashionablyobbessed sees this because this story is because of her so thank you Miss Fashion! **

**Anyways, this story will be mainly from Nina's POV. However, if I get enough support I may throw in a Fabian POV. (*hint hint*) This story mentions the other characters in show but nothing really major. They will be shown and be beneficial to Nina and Fabian's lives but they are not like an every chapter thing.**

**I'm sorry.**

**Enjoy!**

It was gas.

They filled the room with a gas that can make you unconscious for up to seventeen hours.

Oh, and I'm strapped to a chair.

The cube shaped space the put me in was white, like a hospital, and I could feel wires and a monitor beeping from the other side of the room. I could hear some noises, more like shouts. I could hear screams, and painful, God-awful shrieks, coming from all the walls in the room.

They're getting closer… closer….

The door opens, ending the cries. The man was six foot four at least. He had blonde hair and a white lab coat that was pearly white.

He was perfect.

"Hello, Nina," he greeted. He sat in the stool beside my bed, his back straight and face triumphant. He grabbed my chin and forced my eyes to meet his. "Remember me?"

I stared into his frozen blue eyes. But the last time I saw those eyes… they were brown.

"Jerome?" I asked my old best friend.

He nodded and I gasped. Jerome was my best friend at the orphanage but since he is two years older than me, he left and entered the perfect world, leaving me alone.

Jerome was different. He had a confident sense to him, one that used to be cowardly. He walked with a spring in his step, where he used to limp, because the kids always bullied him. His brown hair and eyes were gone, now replaced with more handsome features.

"Glad to know you still remember me," he stated. He got up, and began to write on his clipboard. When he put it down, I could see the neat cursive, a handwriting both he and I resented.

"Jerome, what happened to you?" I asked.

"I became a doctor. I got married to a beautiful girl, named Mara. She is a pediatric specialist, we are the perfect doctor couple," he chuckled.

"Kids?" I quietly whispered.

His expression grew hard. "One, named Liza. She was two months old." His expression softened, "But she died. The Council thought she wouldn't be perfect. We have another kid, though, named Jennifer. She's four months old. How have you been?"

"Fine," I lied. "So, is this test happening or not?"

"Yes," he responded. "Sit back, relax, and just breathe."

I saw him pry open my lips and pour a clear liquid down my throat.

I stared into the eyes that I ones shared everything with, the once that were gone.

This is what the Council did.

**X**

When I woke up it was midday. Jerome's voice was clear, as he shouted outside.

"That's impossible...it can't be true…No... I refuse…

"Nina," he called walking in. "Nina, I have to talk to you."

I nodded, and he sat down. He ran a hand through his hair, a habit he still managed to keep. I smiled. Maybe not _everything_ would change.

"Nina, your test was fouled," he said. "Manipulated, hijacked, whatever. We can't perfect you."

I was silent. Then I whispered, "What?"

"We can alter our physic-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE TEST DIDN'T WORK?" I shouted at my best friend.

He sighed, and said. "This can't go outside this room, ok? You can't tell anyone." I nodded. "We were able to alter your physical characteristics, but we can't force your mind to think like we want it to. Your not and ImPerfect, because we can change a part of you, but your not Perfect because we can't change all of you."

"So what am I?" I asked.

"You're a Chosen," he whispered. "One every century, your one of the only people who can't go anywhere. You're so small; you don't even have a category. If they find you, you'll be dead, Nina."

"What should I do, then?"

"I'm going to give you a normal life, Nina. You have to act like you can't make any mistakes, like you are perfect. You've seen how they act, you have to act the same way."

"What happened if they find me?" I questioned.

"You'll die."

I breathed deeply. "Nina, I'm going to need you to trust me. I am saving our life here, it's the only thing I can do. From here on, you're on your own." He pulled out a manila folder. "Here is all your information. Your job, house, husband, everything."

He got up and headed for the door. "Good luck, Nina."

Just as he turned the knob I shouted, "Jerome!"

He turned.

"Thanks."

He just left.

**X**

Fabian Joseph Rutter.

My husband.

He was a government officer, with a high level status, and was a caring, sweet, compassionate kind of guy.

Great, we'll get along so well.

_Careful, you have to act like a Perfect._

But hey, if we got to pick our spouses, this guy would not be on my list.

I arrived at my home, in a secluded town. It was marble white, with each bush surrounding it trimmed, not even an inch off. There were two pillars, and the house was three stories high. I blinked for a second, and suddenly it became the orphanage that haunted me daily.

I climbed out of my car, and headed for the door. I knocked twice. A man in dress pants and a blazer answered.

"Are you Fabian?" I asked politely. Perfectly ladylike.

"Yes. Are you Nina?" he replied.

I nodded. He laughed, while leading me inside, "You know, you do have a key."

Flames burned my cheeks. Perfects do not make mistakes. "Sorry, they said the effects would work within twenty-four hours."

"Must be different for a girl," he commented. "I'm Fabian Rutter. Your husband."

"Nina Martin, your wife."

It was silent after that, so I headed into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator only to see ingredients, and no food.

Oh my God.

I have to cook.

The last time I cooked, I burned my fingers and the stove. Victor scolded me for hours and I was locked in my tiny closet for forty-eight hours, with no food or water.

"Hey," Fabian whispered coming behind me. I turned around, as the coolness of the fridge sent shivers down my back. "It's ok. I know you can't cook."

I shakily took in a breath.

He raised an eyebrow. "Because of the twenty-four hour thing. I can do it tonight. Don't worry."

I let go of the breath I was holding in, and said, "Thank you."

I closed the fridge before walking towards the exit.

"Actually, Nina, I wanted to talk to you," he began. I turned slowly. "Would you mind?"

I nodded, before sitting beside him on our leather couch.

"Before we start talking about all the important stuff in marriage, I want to get to know you. What's your favorite color? Where did you live? Stuff like that."

I didn't know what to say. I never talked to anyone expect for Jerome. He was the closet friend I had. But I knew a Perfect woman would never disobey a man.

"My favorite color is blue, not like a dark blue or a sky blue, more like a concrete blue," I started. I didn't look into his eyes, the way a Perfect woman shouldn't. "I don't know why, it's just that color was always comforting to me. When the hospital gave me to the orphanage, I was wrapped in a blanket of that color. Um… I never knew my dad and my mom died after giving birth to me. The orphanage was not exactly luxurious but I managed. The man in charge used to torture us but I got used to it." Silence. "How about you?"

"Me?" I nodded. "Well, my favorite color is green, like emerald green. I love how it sparkles, at the right moment. I lived by the stream. My father was a government official as well, so I am a true patriot. I love music, and I love to write. I can't draw but I have to admit to making some pretty mean stick figures."

I giggled. But, internally I was groaning. I thought this guy was great, maybe I wouldn't develop feelings like love for him but I thought we could at least be friends forced to live together. Except for the fact he was a government official. Another reason why Jerome and I were so close is because we hated the government. Now, I was forced to marry a man who believes in everything I wish I could burn and rip to shreds.

"I apologize, but it's getting late," I stated. "I'm just going to go freshen up." I headed upstairs to the bathroom in the master bedroom. I couldn't even recognize all the details because my tears made it too blurry. I'm married to a man who could kill me if he finds out I'm a Chosen. And I actually wanted to know him, become his friend, make it easier to adjust to everything and hide whom I was.

"Nina?" he said, as he knocked on the door. I didn't have the strength to tell him to go away, so he took that as a yes to come in.

He saw my puffy face. "Are you alright?"

I looked down. "I'm ok," I answered. "It's just been a long day. And I can't believe that my future is staring me in the face. What if I mess up? What if they find-" I stopped myself. I had begun to tell Fabian all of my problems, about what I was. I already began to trust him too fast, but I couldn't help it. I told him about how bad the orphanage was, which I didn't tell many people, even if I knew them and they lived outside the orphanage. "What if they find out that I made a mistake? Even by accident? I'll go to prison, I'll be an ImPerfect."

"Nina, I understand," Fabian hushed. "I sometimes worry about that too. But it will not happen. Ever. The system is perfect, we are Perfects, and everything around is perfect."

I nodded. He reached down to wipe the tears away, and I let him, even with my face towards. I couldn't believe I was letting him this close. Jerome never came this close because I refused to let him. I never let anybody come this close.

"Come on, Nina, look at me," Fabian begged. I shook my head. It wasn't something a Perfect would do. Besides, I revealed this much without looking at him. How much would I say if I did?

He sighed, before he headed to the door. I turned around, my still down, my body facing the mirror. "I understand Nina. Anything you need, I'll be there, I'll understand. I promise."

Just before it was too late, I looked in the mirror, my emerald eyes staring back at me. He shut the door.

But not before I could see his eyes.

They were concrete blue.


	3. Chapter 3

Sleeping was awkward.

I didn't know how a Perfect woman slept, so I tried my best. I lay sideways, and my back was towards him. He slipped in beside me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I could hear him hesitate.

"What?" I whispered.

"It's just… just that I know that Perfect women sleep like this, but for some reason, I want to see your face," he claimed honestly. "I know it's dumb, but-"

He stopped as soon as I turned over and faced his chest.

"Better?" I asked.

I could hear him nod. "But now I want to see your eyes."

I glanced up at his eyes for a second before looking away. He wrapped his arms around me, and for some reason, my head was against his chest.

And the only thing in my life that was perfect was how _right_ it felt.

**X**

The next morning, I began to cook. It was simple, but doable. Toast with eggs and orange juice.

Fabian came in, wearing a suit, and leather shoes. He looked incredibly handsome.

"Thank you," he said, entering.

Did I saw that out loud?

"This food, looks amazing," he complimented. He grabbed my hand as I sat down, "Like something else I see."

I blushed, and laced my fingers into his. The actions felt natural and warming. But, this wasn't The Council's action upon me since they couldn't control me.

Was Fabian actually becoming my friend?

His actions of course, are to be blamed on The Council. Last night, though that was odd-Perfect men never ask to see a woman's face- was obviously The Council, commanding him, telling what to say, and how to act. And this, this was _definitely_, added to The Council's Faults List. Fabian's words were just something every Perfect man says to his wife in the morning. Yet for some reason, I did recall the fact that they would on occasion kiss their wife as a form of affection.

Was Fabian actually defying the system?

Did this mean he wasn't controlled?

That he acts this way out of… out of _care_ for me?

We finished eating, and he headed for the door. Like the "Perfect" wife I was, I followed him, and handed him his briefcase. He hugged me, before hesitating again.

"You do that a lot," I commented.

"What?" he questioned.

"Think," I replied. "You keep thinking about every next move. You should just relax and do what you want to."

He sighed, "But if it's a mistake?"

I didn't realize that I was talking to a government official until I finished, "The way the make people perfect is a mistake. Everyone is special the way they are, mistakes are common. We just see so little of them now, we don't notice."

I gasped, and tears sprung at my eyes. Before he could understand what I said, I bid him farewell and shut the door. I leaned against it, and fell to the floor. I just admitted to my husband that everything he lives for, I hate. That the way he lives is disgusting and that it should be taken down. Ok, not that much, but enough for him to realize that I hate the government he works for.

He's going to turn me in and who knows what they do to Chosens? Maybe they kill them and turn them into a symbol to never to defy The Council? Or place his or her heads in the City Square, where everyone goes?

All I know is the Fabian who I thought would be my friend would never look at me the same again.

And that was enough to break my heart again.

**X**

When my husband came home, I was a mess. I wore the most ugly clothes I could find in the wardrobe provided by The Council, which was hard. My shirt was faded and blue, and sweatpants that were grey and baggy. I wore my hair on top of my head, in a freakishly messy bun. Fabian didn't need to worry about me being perfect anymore; he had already seen my true colors.

I didn't bother getting up from my position on the couch, sprawled across the cold leather, my feet tucked under a blanket, when he knocked on the door. I could hear him fumbling with his keys, and him calling, "Nina?" as he opened the door.

I could his footsteps get closer, and suddenly, I turned around my back facing him. I couldn't look him in the eye the second he began to yell at me, I would break into tears and he'd force me to look his eyes and I'd break even more.

"Nina?" he whispered as he kneeled beside me. He gently shook me, and lightly turned me around. My eyes were still puffy, from crying all day, at the different things he could have done to me. "Oh my God, Nina, what happened?"

I just sniffled and turned over, my back to him again. I could feel him lift me up, my head back to its previous position last night, in his chest, and carry me upstairs.

"Fabian…."

"Nina, don't talk, ok?" he said, "Just wait until your in bed."

Once he tucked me in, he laid down beside me, still in his work clothes. "Is this about this morning?"

I started breathing heavily, and my head was spinning even though I was on a flat surface.

"Nina," he breathed, "Nina, I'm not mad."

This caused me to turn over.

"Nina, I get where you're coming from. I understand that as a child the government was unfair to you. They never erased or locked away all those old memories of yours. I get it. I told you I would always understand what you're going through, I promised."

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Don't cry," he begged. He began to wipe away the tears, as I stared up at him, directly in the eyes.

"Thank you," I told him, as his concrete blue eyes stared at me.

I wrapped my arm around his neck, and slowly but surely hooked the other around the other. "Thank you," I muttered repeating the phrase. My face was in the space in his neck, where he smelt like fresh books and the ocean. I closed my eyes and smiled, as tears seeped into my mouth.

"As for you looking like that," he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me.

I popped my eyes open, and let go of him, but he didn't let go of me.

"Hey," he whispered. "Hey, look at me. Look at me."

My eyes looked up at him as soon as he placed two fingers under my chin. "I still think you look perfect."

I gasped, as I crawled out of bed, breaking our moment. "I'll go get dinner ready," I declared.

"Nina-"

"And then I'm going for a walk."

I made an easy dinner of pasta, the recipe in the corner of a cabinet, steamed broccoli and sliced fruit for dessert. I placed it on the table, the portions as perfect as a Chosen could make it, on his plate, shiny enough that even with all the food, he could see his face in the outside rim. I placed a glass of water beside in, three ices cubes, the way he liked, or at least that what's I remember him saying.

I shrugged on a coat, so no one could see my hideous outfit underneath, and start rousing suspicions. I slipped on some fancy sneakers, and began to walk around the block.

Fabian's actions were nothing more than kind acts. Of course, The Council should have made sure he had the ability to show affection, like hugs and kisses. But so far, everything in that manner, he had given the control to me. And I had never had control.

It felt nice.

But, Fabian must be planning something big. He had to have told what had occurred this morning to his boss. Fabian was a high level employee; it was in his oath to tell the truth about his awkward encounters.

I had gone three times around the block, before the thought entered my brain that maybe he hadn't told them. But that idea was tossed out faster than the one that he was an alien and that's why he was acting different from a Perfect man.

By the time I had returned home, it was two in the morning, and I was tired. I slipped off my coat and shoes, and was about to head upstairs when the light flipped on. "Glad to see you're back."

I stopped and turned. Fabian was standing in the middle of the living room, his shadow dark, just like his face.

"You were gone for a while. Where?" he asked.

"Just around the block," I responded curtly.

"Why?"

"I had to clear my head," I replied.

"Really? Took you that long?"

"I had a lot on my mind," I snapped.

I bit back my tongue, stepped backward and looked down. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I want you to say what you think," he said.

I was ready to believe in the alien theory when he said that.

"I know, it's crazy but, I feel like I want you to be completely honest with me. Even when I don't agree, actually especially when I don't agree." He sighed, "I'm sorry, I interrogated you. I just… you were gone for a while… and I thought…."

"Hey," I called, reaching where he stood. I took his hands, "Don't you every think that. It will never happen. I promise."

He nodded, and I shifted my gaze to the dining table. The plate and the water were still there, untouched.

"You didn't eat?" I asked, worried.

He followed my gaze, and then looked everyone else. "Um… yeah, I was really worried, and-"

I wouldn't let him finish, as I dragged him over to the table. I sat him down, and plopped myself in the chair beside him. "I am going to stay here until you eat all of that mister. And don't even think of getting out of it."

He picked up the fork, before he turned to me, "Did you eat?"

I hesitated, before answering, "Yes, I did."

He looked at me suspiciously, before I opened my mouth, covering it with my hand and fake yawned.

It was enough for him.

"Go to sleep," he recommended. "I promise I'll eat it."

I obeyed, and headed upstairs for the bedroom. I brushed my teeth and wiped off the little makeup I wore. I dried my face, and left the bathroom. I went to the bed, where I laid down in the position I was in last night. I was about to drift off when someone grabbed my shoulder.

I bolted upright, ready to hit the person, when someone grabbed my hand.

Fabian.

"Fabian," I whispered. I cleared my throat before relaxing, "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"No worries," he answered. He chuckled, "Remind me to never scare you again."

I laughed before realizing what was going on. "What's wrong? Is everything ok? Should I leave the room? Do you need something?"

"It's ok, you don't have to leave the room," he replied. "And something is wrong, and I do need you to do something."

I nodded, until he brought out the plate of food. "I need you to eat."

I shook my head immediately. He sighed, "Come on, Nina, did you even eat lunch earlier?" 

I nodded, before I mistakenly looked at him. I shifted my gaze to my lap, and he said, "That's what I thought."

"I'm fine," I reassured.

"Nina, I can't let this go. You have to eat."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Nina," he begged, "please eat."

And just like that Fabian Rutter broke through my wall again. I went to bed with a full stomach, a warm blanket, and a good friend.

And my head was in his chest again, fitting perfectly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry, I forgot to put in my author's note last time. Thank you for all the love I'm getting even though I'm updating at like midnight.**

**Also, this chapter has some violence, so if that will affect you negatively I suggest you do not read this chapter. Not many of my chapters have severe or even mild violence, so please do not fear that every chapter will be like this. If you wish to continue this story but are worried about the violence, please leave me a note or not but the chapter after I will summarize what occurred previously.**

**Enjoy!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**

Fabian hit me.

I know, insane, until you realize that everything about Fabian has to do with The Council, that they would always have the upper hand.

When I woke up at my usual time, Fabian was already in the shower. This scared me, since a Perfect wife always woke up before the man. I rushed out of bed, and went to the other bathroom, where I showered and dressed nicely. I took my time, knowing that when I came out, Fabian would still be getting ready, waiting for me, because as he stated, "Your perfect. I'd wait a million years for you, just to see how perfect you are." Although the comments were well appreciated, it was pretty annoying to remind myself that Fabian was under the influence of The Council, and that every sweet word he said, was just an act, and that it was fake.

But even that excuse was overused.

When I headed downstairs, Fabian was standing, in a suit as usual, in the kitchen, tapping his foot impatiently. "Finally."

I froze. His voice seemed to have matured, becoming more deep and serious, instead of his sweet and light accent vibrating the room with joy.

"Well," he insisted. "Is my breakfast going to make itself?"

I walked downstairs, and began to make his favorites, pancakes. He stood, not even daring to sit down, where a glass of orange juice, and his favorite fruits of grapes, peaches, and apples on lay in a pattern, the colors trying to give the kitchen the energy he was draining with his "sunny" mood.

I placed the plate in front of him, "It's hot," I warned before, he took the plate and dumped it on the ground.

Right where my bare foot was.

"Pancakes!" he screeched. "Are you trying to kill me?"

I bit back my screams, as I did at the orphanage, when Victor cowered over me.

"I can't believe you!" he continued. "I don't deserve you! I deserve better!" I began to cry, as finally the truth that I had chosen not to believe all along stared me in the face.

Every sweet thing he ever said to me, every word of encouragement and care…

…were lies.

"I'm eating at work," he stated. He picked up his briefcase and headed for the door.

And I could hear the sound of the door vibrating for hours, even when I tried to scream it away.

X

I applied medicine to the wound. It severely blistered, causing my once perfect skin, to be inflamed and red.

This time, though, I was prepared. After I cleaned every room of the house, I began to prepare his dinner three hours before his arrival. It was much more luxurious than I should have done, since I was still an intermediate chef, but I thought while he was spitting out the horrendous food, I could slip away and lock myself in the bedroom for the night.

That way I don't have to worry about Fabian wrapping his arms around my neck in anger when I sleep.

And to think this is the same Fabian who fed me my dinner when I didn't eat.

I hate The Council.

The meal consisted of fried brown rice, a light gravy, vegetable dumplings in heart healthy oil, a carrot cake with low sugar, and to finish off the meal, I made him coffee, a drink the old Fabian would have resented, and dumped down the sink, but never would have gotten mad at me for.

But this was the new Fabian.

When Fabian knocked on the door, I answered immediately. I took his jacket, and briefcase carefully, and cautiously, in case if he wanted to drop his five-pound briefcase on my already blistering foot.

I put the coat in the closet, making sure to cause no wrinkles. He removed his watch and tossed it to me, and I narrowly caught it, before placing it on a nearby table. He stood there, and cleared his throat. I loosed his tie, and folded his cuffs, neatly, before guiding him to the dining table, where I laid out the meal elegantly. I placed two plates across each other, with the dishes in the center. The light added to it, creating a nice sense of bright color.

"Why are their two plates?" he asked, when sitting down, after I pulled out his chair.

I stopped.

"_Nina, come on!" Fabian persisted._

"_No! No, it's not right!" I responded._

"_Since when have you ever cared about what's right and what's wrong?" he countered, "Come on sit with me!"_

"_I refuse. Look if you need me, I'll be upstairs. I'll eat later, I promise."_

"_I thought we promised to stop lying to each other," he speculated. "I know when you're lying before the words come out of your mouth."_

_I rolled my eyes. "I doubt that."_

"_Really?"_

_I nodded._

"_You're about to try and make some excuse like going to the bathroom, and you'll be gone for twenty minutes hoping I won't notice." I gasped. "Then, you'll come out, I'll be done, and you'll begin to clean dishes._

_I'll ask you to eat, and you'll say you will, and you'd make up some elaborate lie, I don't fully believe and convince me to go upstairs. You'd stay down here for twenty minutes, claiming you ate, and then you'd come upstairs." I was silent. "Am I right?"_

_I nodded. "But that doesn't change things," I stated. "I'm going upstairs, and you can't stop me."_

_I turned around, but I felt him grab my hand. _

"_Nina, please, if you don't eat, I won't eat," he declared in a hushed tone._

"_You'd starve for me?" I asked bewildered._

"_Yes, and I'd do so much more for you." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Please."_

_I was dragged to the table, where we began to eat the cold food. This was my second time eating my own homemade dinner, and I couldn't understand how Fabian did it everyday. _

_When we finished, we headed upstairs where we laid on the bed together. "Fabian?" I asked, right as we were dozing off._

"_Hm?"_

"_How did you know exactly what I was planning to do?"_

"_Nina, you did that on the first day I met you."_

Back at the orphanage, we were only allowed one meal a day, since there were so many kids. I had chosen breakfast, and for fifteen years, I had only eaten then. But within two days, Fabian Rutter had changed that.

"Hello?" Fabian asked me.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized. "The other plate is for your dessert. I don't want you eating on the same plate."

He nodded, and when I realized that he didn't want me to eat with him like the old Fabian did, that was when I knew that the first few days were tricks, but this, this was the rest of my life.

He bit into a dumpling first, before he turned around, and slammed the food onto the floor. "This is awful!"

I walked backwards, but with every step I went back, he took one step towards me. "Who taught you to cook?" I stepped back. "Because whoever it was, is going to get personal execution ordered by me." He grabbed my hair, tightly, "First them, then you."

When I was up against the fridge, it was over.

He slapped me.

I fell to the floor, crying, and I looked up. But when I looked up it wasn't Fabian staring at me-it was Victor.

"No," I whimpered. "No, please, no."

I curled into a ball ready for the next blow that never came. When I looked up, Victor was putting his hand down. Once I blinked, it was no longer Victor. It was Fabian.

He was on the ground beside me, and he shook my shoulders. I crawled as far back as I could, before I saw his face. There were tears running down his cheeks, matching mine. I saw him, stand up and walk backwards. "Nina-"

I stood up and ran for the door. I could hear him following me, but if it were Fabian I once knew, I would have stopped.

But he wasn't.

I ran to the master bedroom, and without time to think, I just slammed the door. I dashed to the window and I opened it. I had one foot dangling out in the air when the door opened.

I began to pull my other foot, when someone grabbed it and yanked me backwards with such force that my leg sliced open on the sharp edge, and the blood trickled down my leg, and fell in droplets onto the carpet. I shut my eyes and screamed, so loud, the neighbors heard it through the open window.

The person placed a cloth to the injury and when I forced my eyes open, Fabian was standing there, a look of concentration and concern on his face.

"Nina, I need you to stay awake," he begged. I began to close my eyes when I felt someone grab my chin, and forced me to stare into concrete blue eyes. "You are not going to die on me." I focused on him, and it made it easier to stay awake.

He grabbed the first aid box in our cabinet and tore it open. Bottle and packets flew everywhere, and I saw him grab a bottle and a wrap of some sorts.

"Nina, this is going to hurt, ok?" he warned. He held out his hand, and I took it without realizing it was the hand he slapped me with. I closed my eyes as he lightly poured the medicine over the wound and I squeezed his hand tightly.

I heard him tear open the wrap with his teeth, one hand still interlocked with mine, as he bandaged the cut.

"Nina, I'm sorry," he whispered.

I immediately let go, and wrapped both of my hands around myself.

"I wasn't myself, I didn't mean it. They controlled me," he elaborated. "I fought, I swear I did, Nina, but it was so hard."

"I'm sorry, I need to be alone," I stated.

"No, Nina-"

"I'm sorry just go."

"But Nina-"

"Fabian! Leave. Now."

"I can't, Nina."

"Why?"

"Because I need to save you."

"From what?" I asked, frightened.

"When The Council had control over me, I turned you in. I told them about everything that had happened between us, how we have had very awkward moments that Perfects shouldn't have."

My heart raced, as I took in his words, and the sirens got louder and louder.

"I told them Nina. They think you are an ImPerfect. They are coming to take you away from me Nina."

The sirens were outside our house.

"Nina, they are coming for you."

**Yay! I hope you enjoyed up to here, because I am not writing anymore!**

**JK! I would never torture you that way (or myself)!**

**I hope you enjoyed.**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, Guys,**

**So I scared a few of you last night with my ending note. I AM STILL WRITING, don't worry. **

**So, last chapter there was a bit of violence, so what happened was, Fabian was being controlled by the government again. He was aggressive with Nina, and she ran to their room. After realizing what he did, he ran after her only to find her about to jump out their window. He pulled her back, and her lower leg skid across the sharp edge, creating a gash. Once he fixed her up he revealed that when he was under The Council's influence that day, he turned her in. Now, The Council is on their way to hunt her.**

**This chapter is very actiony, not severe violence, just falling. Warning you.**

**Enjoy!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**

I heard pounding on the door outside our room. I don't even remember being on the ground, until Fabian was shaking me, commanding me to get up.

Fabian!

I had to get him out of here. If he stayed… Association with me could ruin him. They'd probably execute him after me.

"Fabian," I called, to my husband-friend; boyfriend- I didn't know what we were anymore! "Fabian, you have to go."

"No, Nina, we can just explain," he reassured. "We'll tell them it was a misunderstanding, that everything I said, I withdraw-"

"Fabian, that's committing a mistake. I won't let you do that to yourself. They will brand you as ImPerfect and send you underground." I pulled him close, by the collar, "Listen to me. You have about thirty seconds before they knock down that door. Use your time and get out of here."

"What about you?" he asked, caressing my face.

Twenty seconds.

"I can't. My leg wound is too severe without help. And by the time you could help me out, they would already have struck a bullet through me." I clasped his hand, and held it tightly.

Twelve seconds.

"Fabian, go!" I pushed him towards the window, with the last of my strength. He fell, and I knew he had mere seconds before they came through the door.

Eight seconds.

"I'm not leaving you!" he shouted.

Five seconds.

"Fabian, if you won't save yourself, then there is something you should know before they kill me," I yelled. He looked confused, "I'm-"

Zero.

The door blew open, and I could fell myself skid backwards, hitting the wall behind me. I heard Fabian shout my name several times. Something was wrong with my eyes. Even when I opened them, only tiny streams of light came through.

"Nina, where are you?" Fabian questioned.

Oh. I was underneath our now smoking dresser.

I shifted my weight, and was about to yell for Fabian when I heard a female voice.

The Council Woman in red.

"I bet she was blown away in the explosion," she stated. I peeked through a hole and saw Fabian crying as he looked around continuously. He began to pull at his hair, causing it to go in a million different directions. I saw him bend down, and my vision was blocked but I could hear his sobs echoing in the silent room.

His sobs shook me so hard, it was hard not go over there, and wrap my arms around him and feel his shaking decrease.

"She was a waste anyway," a smaller voice said. "No job, and according this boy, she has been acting like an ImPerfect. Should of killed her in the beginning, she just wasted our resources."

I saw Fabian stand up, and walk towards the direction of the voice. I heard him say, "Don't you dare, say that about my Nina. She was more perfect than any of you."

I heard a crack, and saw Fabian stagger backwards, holding his jaw.

"Perhaps we didn't alter as much of your manner skills as we did of those for affection," the lady in red mused. "Demanding a Council Member? No wonder your father was thrown to the streets."

I internally gasped. But if Fabian's father wasn't a government officer, and he was thrown to the streets then…

"Your father betrayed you," the Council Member stated. "I still remember the look of your seven year old face as we dragged him away. I recall you yelling a phrase before he left, what was it?"

"'Bah ha Mei'," Fabian whispered. (1)

"Ah, yes, 'true of heart'. Tell me, Fabian, did you stop believing in your father's lies after we sent him underground? Hm?"

Fabian seemed alert now.

"Oh, you didn't know?" the Council Member laughed. "Ah, yes Madam Sarah, number 502. Even after eight years, still can't get over the face of shame his son had across his face when The Council knocked on his door and took him away. You know him, don't you?"

"I know of him, of course." Madam Sarah regarded, "Could never stop moaning about his poor child, forced to be raised by a mother who never cared for him."

I saw Fabian wipe away tears, and I was ready to pounce on Madam Snake and her friend, member of The Council of Jerkface.

I managed to crawl underneath the dresser to where the voices were. Other debris held the dresser, so I made an escape from there without making a sound. I wandered around, underneath all the trash, making sure to only make noise when they spoke, that way it wouldn't ruin my plan.

Once I was right beside them, I heard the red devil ask, "I wonder if your mother was ever proud of you."

I shoved her partner's left food upwards and he fell backwards. I rolled his body forward where the woman in red stood. He grabbed her ankles for balance and he grabbed onto her as she fell. On her way down, she hit our old mirror, and the shattered glass pierced her skin. As she screamed, I stood up, with much difficulty before yelling, "Run!" to Fabian.

I ran towards him, and grabbed his hand. I brought him over to the window where I began to put my feet out into the air. Fabian was guiding me, his hand on my back, guarding me from the two council members. Suddenly, Fabian's hand was ripped away, and I felt myself being pulled back in. The person obviously didn't care for my well being because if we were in a different scenario I would probably be screaming my lungs out.

Forget that, I did it anyways.

But my pain was put aside, when I saw Fabian in a headlock by the small Council Member. I was ready to fight when the wound in my leg forced me to my knees, and eventually my face, my nose inches from the man's foot.

"Nina!" Fabian shouted.

The Council Member laughed. I didn't know what to do. Then, I saw Fabian's shoe tip, pointing sideways to the leg of the man holding him in a death grip. I nodded, and I wrapped my legs around the man's tibia, and I watched him release Fabian and fall downwards. Fabian helped me up and we headed for the window. This time though, I made Fabian go first, and when he was almost done, my leg grew weak again. I gripped his arm tightly. He was supposed to jump, but because of my pain he turned around and fell backwards.

"Nina, Nina," he whispered. "Let me go."

"What!" I screeched. "No!"

"Nina, you have to trust me," he insisted. "I promise."

So I let go.

I watched him drop, tears dropping off my face.

It was silent for a few moments, and I swear my heart stopped. "Nina!" he yelled from below. "Nina, I'm ok! You can come down!"

I smiled lightly, before steading myself for my jump. I was crouching ready when someone behind me grabbed my arm, and I dangled from the window.

"Nina!" Fabian's voice cried out.

"Just remember this," the woman in red, who was digging her nails into my skin, warned. Her arm was the only thing stopping me from a fatal and painful accident. "I still control you. We will find you. We will hunt you. And we will kill you. I don't care what you are, I will watch you die. That crush of yours, down there," she signaled. I looked downwards, and I wished I didn't. I looked back up at her. "Oh, he is going to have a tough time if he doesn't catch you."

Her grip began to loosen.

"He makes you so many promises, sweetheart, and now just like him I'll make you one. I am going to watch you suffer by the hands of me, and if not I am going to be satisfied every night knowing you don't have enough water or food or warmth to survive. And even better knowing you have to find all that for two." She made her final remark, "Can't wait to see you at finish line, princess."

I wouldn't let her win. I couldn't go up to Fabian, and look him in the eye, and say, that she won.

So right before she could let me go, I let go of her. But not before saying, "I can't wait to see your face when I have the trophy."

And I fell, with Fabian's last words to me, echoing in my mind.

_I promise._

**There! I hope it was sufficient! Next chapter will be a lot of revealing of Nina's feelings and I am making a vote. In each review, place a vote on:**

**Fabian POV**

**No Fabian POV**

**There is no option here, I just like three choices!**

**Hope you liked it!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~ **


	6. Chapter 6

Twenty feet was understandably high. But falling from that height, not a good idea.

Not unless you had a safety net down below.

I did.

Fabian narrowly caught me, and I was breathing heavily, my screams still vibrating. Fabian pursed his lips, in a motion that stated, "No. Not yet." I wanted to yell at him, thank him, and tell him to release me from this comfortable position. We hid under a tree, our shadows folding into the darkness provided.

We were silent, and still. I would have stopped breathing entirely, as the shock settled in, but Fabian kept jolting me awake with a light pressure on my upper arm.

"They're dead, Madam," a male voice rang out. "We must go. We shall convince the Perfects to believe they never existed.

"No," a lighter voice commanded. Her voice was so strong and full of authority. She placed a spell on anyone, every word their command. If she had asked me to jump off a roof, I would have.

But I just jumped three stories, how different could it be?

"Let's wait a few more minutes," the same voice recommended.

"Honestly, I don't understand how two simple people managed to take out two of The Council Members. It just isn't possible," a new, unique voice speculated.

"Well, what kind of people could both go through the test without any detection of the truth?" the first counter acted.

"I know for a fact that Nina was helped," the second voice stated proudly. "It was that Clarke. He was executed last night."

I began to thrash, but they seemed not to notice. Fabian's arms tightened around me, as tears cascaded down my face. I began to even attempt to pull away from him. I was ready to rewind, and throw Madam Snake face and her posse down the window, and watch as my safety net let them die.

They killed my best friend. Jerome saved me, and I messed up. Mara must be devastated, and I-

-I made a child fatherless, just like me. I am the reason why a child is going to go through so much pain and misery. Maybe if I hadn't made so many mistakes, it would be ok. Maybe I wouldn't have had to threaten The Council, and make them cause suspicions about me.

And suspicions about Fabian. He deserved none of this. He was the only person left it seemed, who cared about me.

"Nina," Fabian whispered. I just shook my head, and I buried my face into his dress shirt. _I am so sorry, Jennifer, _I thought, _I am so sorry._

"Our patrol outside hasn't spotted them," the first voice confirmed. "They are gone."

"Then we must find them," the obvious leader declared.

"Fabian, run," I muttered.

"What?" he asked.

"They'll find us soon." I stated, "If we get a head start, then they won't find us."

"Nina, I might drop you," he warned.

"I'm ok with that."

Fabian was skeptical, and I leaned in close to his body, my head in his chest again. "Fabian, I only feel like perfect when I am with you. This-" I took in his smell of fresh books and the ocean, "-this makes me feel whole. The few simple words you say change my life."

"Nina-"

I stubbornly, wrapped my arms around him, and leaned as close to his ear as I could, as the yells seemed to get closer, "Go."

With that he took off.

He headed for the woods and everyone could see the movement. There were howls and screams behind us. I could feel glows of light upon me, my injured foot, dangling in the open for them to see. I could hear several of them mention it, and I could feel Fabian's heart pounding, and I could feel his breathing become shallow.

"I got her!" someone yelled behind her. I didn't understand what he said, until I was pushed onto the ground, and Fabian groaned against a tree.

With a knife in his arm.

"No!" I cried, as tears ran down my face. I removed the knife, gently, watching him yell in pain, causing my heart to shatter. "No! Fabian!" I could see the blood draining from his face, and I had nothing to stop the blood. I ripped off the bottom of my shirt, and I shivered from the cold air. My tank top was thin and not enough to protect me, but Fabian was dying before my eyes. I wasn't going to let negative degree weather stop me from attempting to save his life.

I tied the fabric tightly around his arm, my tears tangling with his blood, oozing down the side of his skin.

I could hear the shouts get closer and I did it before I knew why. I wiped the blood off of the weapon, before my anger got the best of me. I threw the knife in the direction of the cops. I heard a groan, it was probably a minor injury, I wasn't aiming or intending to harm. But it was enough.

The distraction was precious as I dragged Fabian along. I heard him moan and scream, no matter how many times I tried to get him to be silent.

"Fabian, please," I begged.

No response.

"Fabian," I said, bending down when I laid him gently on the rough dirt. I shook him lightly and his eyes were shut. "Fabian!" I yelled as loud as I could. The cops could find me, but Fabian dying would be more painful than any punishment The Council could offer.

I hit him, slapped him, several times, yet he wouldn't wake up. "Fabian!" I cried.

I leaned downwards and placed my ear right about his heart, where the only proof of him being alive was pounding softly.

"I won't let you die," I promised the same way he did to me earlier. I looked around, desperate for someplace to hide us.

But all I saw was dirt. There was a cave, but it was dangerous. The Council could believe we are in one and begin to explode each and every one of them. I wouldn't take the chance.

The only option was the trees, each one as high as love's power, seemingly infinite.

It was stronger than any will.

I could never make it up as high as Fabian could, my wound's bandages already opening up, but I had to make it high enough that we wouldn't be spotted, but low enough that I could see what was going on below. Not to mention, place Fabian three branches higher, each branch thick enough that I could climb up, with pressure on only one leg, that way I can help him if he gets in trouble.

But I was more likely to get into that than him.

I tried one more time. "Fabian?" I whispered.

His eyes fluttered open. He was adjusting to the lighting and was about to pass out again when I grabbed his collar, my fingers pinching his skin.

"Listen to me," I demanded. "You are not falling asleep again. Not until I know it won't be forever." I pointed upwards, "Climb."

"What?" he questioned. "Nina, we have to keep going."

"Fabian, I will not let you go any farther, because I will be worried that every minute that passes you'll-" I stopped. "Just climb." I didn't finish. I didn't want him to know that him dying and leaving me here alone would only cause my life to be invaluable. That him gone would be like a candle glowing brightly before someone blows it out.

_Fabian, don't blow it out._

He did only after I swore to follow him. I let him go at least halfway up before I told him to sit.

And I knew he looked down.

I climbed onto the branch underneath his. "Fabian, Fabian," I said. I grabbed his shaking hands, "Look at me." His gaze shifted to my eyes. "You are not going to die. I will catch you before you ever do." His concrete blue eyes stared at me, burning holes into my skin. I saw his gaze shift downwards, and I let go of his warm fingers.

"Um… I'll go look around," I stated before he grabbed my arm again.

"I can't let you," he said. Then he began to stutter, "Not-Not like that. You'll execrate a lot of pressure on your leg. Just go to sleep, I'll take first watch."

"No way!" I screamed in a hushed tone. "You are not going to watch. You could fall asleep again. Besides, we need to clean your arm."

He closed his eyes and leaned against the trunk of the tree. He seemed to concentration on what he was doing, before opening his eyes and whispering, "Pocket."

I narrowed my eyes before I plunged my hand into his front left pocket, where there was a bulge I didn't notice before. I pulled out two bottles of antiseptic and on his left side pocket; there were five rolls of gauzes.

"You had this?" I exclaimed, already opening a bottle. I began to pour it over the wound gingerly, as he hissed and grasped one of my hands: the one that was lying on his knee.

And just like him, I didn't let go.

"I brought it for you," he explained. "For your leg, in case we had to run. I stuffed some in my pocket when you were nearly passing out. I knew that The Council would come in a matter of seconds so I just put them in my pockets."

I began to bandage the wound.

"Let me do your leg," he insisted. I continued to wrap the cloth around his arm.

"No, that can wait."

"No, it can't."

"Yes, it can."

"Nina."

"Fabian."

"Give it to me."

"No."

"Nina."

And for some reason, I looked into his face. In the moonlight, it looked like a shadow had covered his face. This shadow revealed the Fabian many never saw: the vulnerable, loving, ready to fight, protective, and tired Fabian. Tired of the fact that even when he tried so hard, all his loved ones slipped away.

This was the Fabian that was rare for everyone else, but normal for me.

By the time he was done cleaning my gash and wrapping it, my stomach was starving. After the past couple of weeks of three meal courses, I forgot what it was like to starve.

Oh my God, how is Fabian going to survive here?

"Nina," he whispered.

"Shh," I hushed, "just go to sleep."

His eyes were drooping as he called out, "Good night."

"Good night," I replied, "and I won't let anything bite you." I traced the outline of his shadow, and his smile was like a child's, when his mom whispered him sweet dreams.

I placed my lips to his forehead, and I leaned into him.

Don't think I love him because I don't.

I don't love him; I'd just die for him.

And one thought haunted me that night, _Isn't that the same thing?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, Guys,**

**I just want you to know this story was originally supposed to 10 chapters, but there is a chance I could make it twelve or so. All I need is encouragement, and it will come to me.**

**The next chapter is really big. I want it to be in Nina's POV but if I get enough votes for Fabian's then I could try to make it his. But it would make more sense if it was Nina's. I could make the one after that Fabian's POV, I don't know.**

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in about two days but life is insane.**

**Enjoy!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**

By the time Fabian woke up, it was dawn. He woke up with a groan, before nearly falling out of the tree, had I not been there to catch him. He looked around, until he could finally see the light through the masses of leaves. "It's morning?" he asked, groggily.

"Yes," I responded, calmly. I didn't sleep a wink last night. I spent my time with the darkness, just thinking, and checking Fabian's heartbeat every few seconds. Honestly, I was worried if I went for food, or water, then he would die while I was gone, and I would lose him. "It's fine, you needed your rest." I began to climb down, when I looked up to see him, looking at me strangely. "Are you coming?"

"Where?" he asked.

I answered, "Who knows?"

I made sure Fabian was safe, as we headed down. When we were on ground, he seemed to be able to breathe again. He began to head south, when I shouted, "Wait!"

I pointed down, where there were tracks in the mud, obviously of multiple people's shoes. "They went that way. Water runs downhill, they must have thought we would head in that direction." I speculated for a minute. "I know a place."

I dragged Fabian to the left, where the trees were never ending. "Nina," he occasionally called.

"Shhh," I replied.

We kept walking until Fabian screamed, "Nina!" I turned around, moving sideways lightly, just as the arrow landed right where I was standing.

"Nina, run!" Fabian was a few feet behind me, so I began to slowly jog, giving him enough time to catch up to me, before we broke into a run. The arrows pierced the air, as one lodged into my left side pocket, where I packed the antiseptic bottle. The fabric spilt open, and the liquid's cap came off and the liquid spilled out.

"Nina!" Fabian shouted. He ran back to where I was, crouching down, as I tried to retrieve what little was left of the medicine. "Nina, we have to go!"

One arrow landed right behind me, inches from my injury.

"Fabian, this is the one thing that can save you!" I yelled.

"We have one more," he insisted, "Let's go."

He took me by the shoulders, and we began to run again. I turned around once, to see the liquid, hit by a small circular object, and the ground explode, the debris splattering the place.

"Fabian!" I shouted.

He turned around once, and then looked forward again. We ran for years in seemed, but they had more numbers. When someone got tired, someone else stepped in their place. The bombs exploded near trees, in the mud, next to animals, and even in the air. The sparks, flew around us, as we dodged as many as we could.

But the next one was too close.

The same man's voice from last night-I was sure- yelled, "It's definite!"

This time, no one was there to take the bullet for me.

The bomb landed inches from me, and erupted. The metal scraped my skin, as fire ignited on my tibia, exactly where my skin was ripped open.

I hollered and howled, and I could hear sounds of victory behind me. I felt someone run back to me, yell my name, then roll me down a hill. I felt myself fall into a pit of the unknown, random species brushing my skin, and I could feel myself sink. The pain in my leg was fading, and I couldn't hear at all.

I felt myself get pulled upwards, and I gasped for air. Pain shot through my leg again, and I thrashed. I could feel myself fall, again, into the mass. The peace was there again. It was beautiful.

The air was not coming to me, but I was internally smiling. Now, I don't have to worry about The Council. They wouldn't hunt me anymore.

And Fabian, he'll make up some lie, say he was put into a coma by me, and that I changed his brain waves. He'll find a pretty girl to marry, and they'll have a child.

I wonder what they'd named the child. I know Fabian loves the name Logan, and for a girl maybe… Jennifer?

Jennifer…

Jennifer…

Jennifer!

I opened my eyes, but the pressure of the water swam before them. I pushed myself upwards, where there was someone ready to dive in it seemed. I was about to get up and out, when the person lightly put their legs in, and I grabbed ahold of them. I pushed myself upwards. One arm grabbed my shoulder blade and pulled me out.

I coughed, and wheezed, as I began to choke and spit out everything in my mouth. "Jennifer," I gasped. "Jennifer."

"Nina," Fabian wrapped his arms around me. I sunk my head into his chest, where it fit like peanut butter and jelly.

"Jennifer," I muttered, crying. "Jennifer, I'm sorry."

"Nina, she'll be ok," Fabian whispered in my ear. I nodded, not believing him, as we settled down our stuff.

"I saved one," Fabian stated, holding up an arrow. "I thought it could come in handy. We could clean off the dirt in the water. But, for right now I'm just dying of thirst." He dropped the weapon, and went to the water hungrily, and was about to scoop up some water in his hands when I yelled, "No!"

Fabian stopped, the water centimeters from his skin. I pushed past him, and dipped the side of the arrow in the water.

At first, nothing happened. I thought it was safe, until I could see flames begin to ignite on the arrow, and I took it out of the water to find it smothering hot, and burnt.

"It's acid," I told him. "The Council turned it to acid."

Anger flared inside me, up my nose, into my throat, and my fingers were blazing. At the orphanage, we were let out at nine am, and had to be back my five pm. Trudy, the housemother, always let me go earlier than everyone else, at around eight-thirty, since I was one of the few kids there who were actually tolerable.

Every morning, I came here. This was my haven, my heaven, where I could just sit, and breathe. This was the one place where I could think, and not look over my shoulder, this was where, and I grew up.

This is where I learned to hate The Council.

This is where everything that I fought against, started.

And they had destroyed it.

"We can't drink this," I stated. "We'll die."

Fabian face became glum but he seemed understand. The water seemed to draw both of us, but we were both overcoming it. My reasoning was that I was a Chosen, but what was Fabian's?

If he was a Perfect he definitely could not resist.

If he was an ImPerfect, he may be able to.

But he was cringing away from it. He knew its evil powers, and it no longer drew him in.

What was Fabian?

"So," I said. "Um, another tree?"

"That one," Fabian pointed out. It was a tall one; it was shorter than the others though. The branches didn't start until we were higher up, so if anyone looked up, they wouldn't see. "We can climb up other trees' branches and then jump onto those. We would be able to jump if we had to, or we could go into other trees because they are so close." He offered me his hand, "What do you say?"

I took his arm, and he lifted me up, into the first few branches of the tree on its right. I climbed up about a quarter way, when Fabian announced he would jump first.

He leaped from the tree I was clinging to, to the one he had chosen earlier. He held out his hand, and I looked from him, to the ground.

There was at least a thirty-foot drop below us.

"Nina, Nina." He averted my attention back to him. "You won't fall. Ok? I promise. You fall, I'll dive after you. You won't hit the ground unless my body's underneath yours." He blushed, and so did I.

I took a deep breath and leaped from one tree to the other. I clasped Fabian's hand as I missed, and I saw him with one hand on the tree and the other interlocked with mine.

But, I realized, I was clinging on his bad arm.

"Fabian!" I shouted, and I could see him attempt to lift me up. He contracted his muscles, and he pulled me up at least three inches.

There was a branch four inches above, but I knew Fabian could never lift me that much.

"Fabian let go of my hand."

"What!" he shouted.

"Let. Go."

"No! Nina, you'll fall! I won't let you!" he screamed.

"I won't fall. I'm going to grab the trunk of the tree," I explained, "but you have to let me go."

"What if you can't hold on?" he asked.

He was more nervous than I was, and my life was on the line.

"That's a chance I'll take," I informed.

He wouldn't let go, so I slowly slipped my hand out of his. His eyes widened, and he attempted to hold tighter, but it was too late.

I wrapped my other arm around the trunk of the tree, and snuck my way up. I placed my right foot on the branch, and I moved my hands upward. I put my other leg onto the branch, and I wobbled, before Fabian leaned down and steadied me.

I began to climb upwards, passing Fabian until I reach about halfway up the tree. I sit down on a branch, and watch Fabian climb. He sits beside me, and rubs my knuckles. "I thought I lost you."

I softened, "But you didn't."

"Nina, you don't get it," he stated.

"Try me," I dared.

"Nina, you mean the world to me." He began, "You are the reason why I am here, you are finally making me become someone who can help the world. I thought once I turned fifteen that it would be fine, but then I met you. You changed my world, Nina." He looked down, "I don't know if I love you or not, I just know that you're going to save me, then the other Perfects, and then the ImPerfects, and that you are making me a fighter. I was always the one who let the other people fight battles, while I stayed out of the way. You changed me, Nina, and I swear I will never leave your side."

I was breathing heavily, and I looked up at the sky. It was getting rainy, and the sun was fading away.

"We can build a fire," I told him. I began to climb down, and heard him follow me. We went down, and once we reached the bottom I stated, "They can't see the smoke in the greyness of the rain, we can get a fire going. Maybe the acid rain's effects wear off once its boiled."

"A simple clause like that?" Fabian questioned. "Wouldn't that be imperfect?"

"Who said anything about being perfect?" I asked, "We're just showing them we have enough nerve to build a fire. We'll show them that we aren't scared." I remembered his words, "Let's prove you're a fighter, Fabian."

**I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter is either Fabian or Nina's POV. I need more votes, so keep voting! I don't care if you're a Guest or not, your vote counts!**

**By the way, this story has over 600 views! Oh my god, I can't believe you guys actually like this! Thank you for everything!**

**See you soon!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey Guys,**

**Just so you know, I'm going to updating continuously since Fashionablyobsessed Challenge entry is due tomorrow. So don't just press the every time because you might be clicking on a chapter one or two ahead. **

**Thanks for all the love! Oh by the way the Alaskan language thing, that's fake. I made it up.**

**Enjoy!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fabian stifle his roars of laughter, as he saw me rubbing two branches against each other, attempting to build a fire.

"You know, it's not that easy," I proclaimed, as he clamped a hand over his mouth, to stop laughing, before he frowned.

"Aw, is Mighty Martin incapable of making a fire?" he teased.

I dropped the sticks, and declared, "I'd like to see you try Rebellious Rutter."

He raised his eyebrows, and he had a fire dancing on top of the coals he found earlier, within minutes. He smirked, "Well, what do you know? Perfect Martin over here can't do something."

He gasped, looked down. I bit my lip, and turned away, and I could hear his rough boots scraping the ground as he walked towards me. "Hey, hey," he said. He turned me around and held onto my shoulders. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel-"

"Let's just try and warm up the water, ok?" I suggested, pulling away from him. I took the woven basket I had created earlier and I filled it up with the acid. I prayed it would stay together for enough time, as I placed it over the fire. The fire didn't seem to do it too much damage-I could see a few burns- so I just let it stay there for a half hour. I know for regular water it should be only five but this, was not regular.

Fabian wandered around while I kept my eye on the fire. His arm was getting better, clearly, he was able to move it more frequently, and he didn't pass out every five minutes. I let him go, but I kept calling out his name, making sure he was in a reasonable distance.

I checked my leg wound about ten minutes ago, when Fabian was walking. The bleeding had stopped, but it looked like it was getting infected. Not to mention the scraps and burns from the bomb. I had been using the antiseptic, but not as often or as much as I should have. I placed some on, once I saw it, but I knew myself it was way too little. But we had one bottle left now, and Fabian needed it. Fabian knew exactly what I would do with only one bottle; he knew I would give it up for him. I knew he would be watching more closely from now on, making sure I was taking it-and using it in the right amounts. But once his arm was fully healed, and could I be sure that he wouldn't need it, I use it as much as I should.

"Nina," Fabian called, emerging from the woods. He was carrying dozens of berries, and I recognize at least seven of them. "Look what I found."

"Great," I commented. I pulled the basket from the fire. "Could you put those on the leaves? I want to get this water problem over with."

He did as I told him to, and he sat beside me. "How will we know if it's safe?"

I hesitated. I knew this would be his least favorite part. "I'm going to drink it." He opened his mouth to protest, before I continued, "Just a drop. Not even a sip. Please."

"No, no," he stated, ready to take the basket from my hands. "I'll do it. It's ok, I'll be fine."

"No, Fabian, I can't let you-" He grabbed the basket from my hands, before I could say anything. He gingerly dipped his index finger, and sucked on it. I took a deep breath, and before I knew it, I saw him attempting to drown the water. "Fabian!" I screamed.

"It's ok," he said, wiping his mouth, "it's normal. You can drink it."

I waited ten minutes, checking on him, his heartbeat, his behavior, before I hesitantly took his sip.

It tasted like nothing. It was tasteless. Odorless. It felt like spring. Like freedom.

Like it used to.

I then began to swallow it continuously. Fabian then took the other basket I crafted, and carefully filled it with the acid and placed it over the water. "We have to get as much as we can before it starts raining," he stated. Earlier it had rained lightly, and we had gathered some rain in one of the baskets. We drank it greedily, but I know Fabian had only had a little, just so I could have more.

I looked up, and I knew we only had an hour or so, before the full-blown storm starts. I had no idea where we would sleep then.

I know you should stay underneath a tree when a storm hits. If we went deeper in the woods, then there would be less of a chance that our tree gets struck. Plus, The Council wouldn't send their troops into a heavy rainstorm would they? They could die. I'm sure The Council had enough heart not to do that.

Hey, if you could die any second, you might as well try to laugh.

Fabian and I sat on some logs, in front of the fire. We sat across from each other, and the fire was the only source of light. I saw him look up occasionally; making sure the clouds would conceal the smoke. Lucky we had only made a small one, so we didn't have to worry so much. But that didn't stop Fabian.

"It's fine," I told him. "The clouds will hide it."

He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "Nina, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," I replied.

"What are you?"

I froze. "What do you mean?" I asked, pausing between the words.

"I know you're not a Perfect. You definitely aren't an ImPerfect. I don't know any other options." I sighed as he continued, "You say your views of The Council so freely, and you mess up all the time. As much as I love that about you, I need to know, if I'm going to be hunted with you.

"You tried to tell me something when The Council broke into our house. What was it? I know you are different. I just I-I need to know. I've wanted to know for a while."

I choked on air, as I honestly whispered, "You wouldn't want to know."

"Yes, I would, I do! For God's sake, Nina, what is it? I _have _to know! I can't live my life like this, if I don't know!" He then said quieter, "I can't love you if I don't."

I began to cry, and I wiped my nose. I could see his heartbroken expression, before the flames, his face desperate. "Too much would change. I would put you in even more danger. You wouldn't look at me the same."

"Nina," he begged, "I promise I will. And, there is no way I could be in even more danger than I'm already in. I swear if you tell me, I will tell you my secret."

I raised my eyebrows, and looked at him. He was really crying now, his eyes were no longer misty- they were damp. They showed weakness and pain. He needed to know.

I have to tell him.

"I'm-" I started but stopped. I shook my head. I couldn't keep leading him on like this. It would be unfair to the pair of us. "I'm a Chosen.

"I'm one in every century. I'm the government's biggest threat. They can change a part of me, but they can't change all of me. I don't know why it's me, but all I know is that The Council will do anything, to kill me. Because of me Jerome is dead. Mara's probably screaming and crying, and Jennifer is now going to have no one to fight with. She's going to have no one pamper her. She'll have no one advice her about boys. No one will threaten her friends not to hurt her. No one send her off to her test." My eyes got misty. "No one to hold her, no one to talk to when she's sad. No one to be the best friend she doesn't want. She'll be alone, she'll be-"

There was a voice in my ear, and a hand on my shoulder. I put my head into the crook of their neck.

Even after being soaked in blood, his hands covered in antiseptic, falling into mud and leaves, and being shocked by sparks from a bomb, he still smelled like fresh books and the ocean there.

"Nina," he whispered my name, as he stroked my hair.

After ten minutes, I relaxed, and pulled away. I turned away from him, so I change the baskets. We drank half of it, before leaving it to the side for later.

"So, what's your secret?" I questioned, remembering out deal from earlier.

He looked down. "When I was little, The Council, came in and took my dad." I knew this, and he knew I did, but he still went on. "They took him outside, and they tortured him, before taking him away all bruised and bloody. I never knew, but he was an ImPerfect. He taught me his native language, Alaskan, some old one from before the beginning of The Council. He spoke it to me every day, and he always told me to be, 'Bah ha Mei' or 'True of heart'. I was, and that was the last thing I said to him, before they took him to execution or so I thought.

"My mom, she was a Perfect. She was ashamed of my father, and The Council gave her a new husband. She spent so much time, making sure that he was a real Perfect, that she didn't pay any attention to me." He chuckled, but there was no joke in his tone, "Not like she did before.

"I grew up believing in The Council. I didn't want any other child to be betrayed and fooled the way my father did to me. I grew up, literally, through my neighbor who was a government officer. He was like my second father. I went to his house daily, where his children played while I learned about everything. It was my dream to help in the government, help them with anything. I grew up learning that ImPerfects were tedious, and that they should be stopped since they were the ones who caused lots of damage.

"At school, I was fascinated in history. I loved learning how The Council and everything began. I loved learning how Perfects and ImPerfects were kept apart, and I argued daily on why it should be kept that way.

"When I met you, that changed like I said. But I realized, I wasn't a Perfect. Because I understood and I agreed with you on everything, even the hateful things about The Council. I never turned you or anything, and I was shocked at myself. You know this, of course, but the thing is, I'm a Perfect. I'm an ImPerfect, they had control over me at times, and they could command me. But many of my actions were off my own accord, they were my own choices." He took a deep breath and said, "Nina, I don't know what I am."

I was shocked. This news was just like saying you didn't know how to ride a bike or walk. In this world, everyone knew what he or she was. They had to. It was a factor.

"Fabian-"

The downpour of rain cut me off. The lightning crashed and the thunder caused my head to pound. The fire went out, and the baskets rapidly filled with water.

I yelled for Fabian, but it was too blurry. I felt someone grab my arm and drag me over to the trees. I grabbed a basket of water, and it felt pretty light.

Of course. When I was running to my death, I pick the basket that gave me the least chance of survival. The basket I have woven had a hole in it, causing me to hold it diagonally.

_Oh well, Fabian can give me some of his._

I was praying the person running in front of me was Fabian, and I concentrated on him, until I tripped.

The basket was ripped from my arms, as the water flowed onto the already damp ground.

A branch landed on top of my leg and I screamed, but it was silent under the howls of the storm.

I dragged my leg and the basket underneath a tree. I lay flat on my back, the way I learned in school. My arms and legs were spread wide, and the basket was in the safety of a crook of branches in the tree. It quickly filled with water, as I closed my eyes and prayed.

I prayed for myself, I prayed for Jennifer, I prayed for Mara. I prayed for everyone who for some reason was caught in this storm like me.

And I desperately prayed for Fabian, who for all I knew could have been dying in a ditch somewhere.

**Did you like that? The next chapter maybe posted tonight. Or the next two. As soon as I'm done writing, they'll be online after my check.**

**See ya!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey Guys,**

**This is in Fabian's POV, but it is really weak. It is kind of filler, mainly as one when Fabian saves Nina's life, than the other way around. It's kind of to show what happened to him. The ending is big though.**

**This is a really bad chapter- I am serious.**

**But this story will end tomorrow. So I hope you guys keep reading my stuff after this, and yeah.**

**Enjoy!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**

Fabian POV

I kept running, putting distance where Nina and I had started the fire and myself. Nina and I had separated, and I was begging God to make sure she was okay. I managed to salvage the few berries I could, and the basket with water, that was now overflowing. I also got the antiseptic, which I stuffed into my pocket.

I found a cave to stay in. I huddled inside of it, trying to find some warmth, and I drunk the freezing water. My body was soaked, and I could feel a cold creeping into my immune system. But I could fight that. The only thing I couldn't fight was keeping Nina in danger. She would be in danger daily because of me. Because I was too weak.

I had her arm in my hand, and I gripped her so tight. I let her go, so I could run ahead. I should have made sure was safe before I took off. She could be bleeding or crying or worse dying somewhere and it would be my fault.

My fault.

I gave myself as much warmth as I could, but it wasn't enough. I was freezing. During these last couple of days, even when it was cold, I could just hold Nina and I would feel like a fire was burning in me.

But Nina wasn't here now.

I decided thinking about her wasn't going to do anything. I ate a few berries, and I drank half of the basket. I knew Nina had one, I saw her grab it before we ran.

At least that's one less way she could die.

I checked on my arm. The bleeding had stopped long ago, but I knew that the antiseptic really did help. The bruise was healing very fast, the hole almost fully covered. The skin was beginning to close, showing that there wasn't much infection left. I put on some antiseptic and I rewrapped the same gauze around it.

As soon as I tightened it, I realized Nina's wound was probably much worse. I knew she wasn't taking enough of the antiseptic, but now she had none. The full bottle was in my hand, and all she had to clean it out was water. At least she had some fresh gauze. We had three rolls left, all of which were in her pocket.

Maybe if she wrapped it tightly, the bleeding would stop.

I bet she hoped I didn't notice.

But I did.

I noticed everything about her.

I kept passing time; mostly thinking about what Nina was doing and how she was.

I was about to decide Nina was worth it and run outside into the mad rain, when a crash shook the ground.

I gathered all my materials immediately. I stuffed the berries and the bottle into my pocket, and I picked up the basket. I went outside to check what was happening, and all I could see were the few streams of moonlight that shone through against the rain.

"Hey!" I screamed. The tree blocked my exit, and I knew that if I didn't get out of here right now, something bad would happen. I could already smell smoke: there was a tree burning outside.

As I hopelessly screamed, I heard a beeping. I slowly turned around to see in the corner of the cave a blinking light.

The Council was activating a bomb.

"Hey!" I hollered, even louder. I began to push the tree, but it was worthless. I was too weak. The beeping seemed to get louder, pounding in my head as I thought of Nina, bruised and bloody against a tree, begging me to help her, and not to give up.

Like my dad.

With those thoughts in mind, I grunted and pushed. Nina's face kept coming in my mind, many of the thoughts I had of her terrifying.

There was one when she was crying against a tree, a bruise on his head, and the blood mixing with her tears as it cascaded down her face. Then there was one when she was on her stomach a tree over her body, as she called out my name. Then, of course came the natural one.

She was already dead somewhere.

I yanked back as hard as I could, but the beeping got rapider and the exit was as clear as it was minutes ago.

There was no way out.

I went to where the bomb was, and it was clear as day the time, bright red on the device: 00:02:39.

I had to get out.

Since the trunk of the tree was hopeless, I pushed at the branches, until a few of them fell off. The hole was still too small, but I pushed the basket through, that way I wouldn't have to worry about it when getting out.

I kept going, breaking off branches, the wood causing splinters on my hand. My bad arm couldn't do much, so all it did was keep moving wood debris out as my other hand broke off the wood.

I looked at the bomb once more. 00:01:05.

I could feel my eyes widen, and my arms burning as I kept pulling, and breaking. The hole was big enough when the bomb began to rapidly beep.

_Ten._

I was pulling myself up, the water drenching me.

_Nine._

I hung one foot onto land and pulled myself out.

_Eight._

I dragged myself out, and caught my breath.

_Seven._

I grabbed the basket, and stood up.

_Six._

I began to head for the trees.

_Five._

The woods were clear now, and the burning trees were surrounding me from behind.

_Four._

A tree nearby caught fire, just as I passed it.

_Three._

I tripped, as the burns skidded up my arm.

_Two._

I crept to the woods, the injuries far too severe for me to walk.

_One._

A final thought flew into my mind.

Nina.

_Zero._

The ground ten feet away exploded, and the fires were at an all time high. The rain was slowing it down, but all I could see was red as I was thrown backwards.

The pain was put aside as I began to run. The ground was shaking, and I could feel myself falling over and over again. I repeatedly stood up only to find the ground as my best friend.

I went about five feet before lightning struck exactly where my foot was. I skidded at least fifteen feet forward. I grabbed onto dirt and grasped tightly, my fist full of it. I stood up, my face, clothes, and skin either burnt or covered in dirt.

I kept walking forward, and I tripped on a tree branch.

I fell in a motion where I was sideways, and I opened my eyes to see that to my right there was a tree, about to fall.

I was ready to get up and run away, when I saw someone underneath the tree beside it, ready to be smashed.

I stood and ran to them. There was only one person in these woods as far as I knew. I wasn't going to let them slip away again. I kept running, they were only a few feet away now. But the tree was about to fall off its trunk. I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping the rain would be nice for once.

It wasn't.

As I got closer, I was sure. I dodged puddles and trees, leaves tangling in my hair. I began to scream their name, and I was praying they heard me.

The sky was mimicking my eyes as the tears fell down my face. I was three feet away when the tree started to fall.

It was all in slow motion. I darted forward, and grabbed the body under the tree. As the tree crashed to the ground, we rolled down a hill, her blonde hair hiding her face, which was buried in my chest, as she screamed, her name on the edge of my lips.

_Nina._

After five minutes, I knew the burning had stopped, since the smoke had decreased. I had carried Nina to a place that was secluded, and far away from caves.

I will never trust those death traps again.

I saw Nina shivering, even when I wrapped my arms around her. Her blonde hair was tousled, and her tears felt heavy against my clothes. I whispered soft words into her ears as she mumbled my name. At one point she cried out, and the sobs ripped my heart. I held her closer with each tear, my voice as soft as possible, as it shook out, "You're ok. It's ok. We're ok."

I tried everything. I whispered to her. I talked to her. I made jokes with her. I sang to her. Yet her head was plastered to my chest, and showed no sign of coming out.

"Nina, hey, I'm here," I reassured. "I'm safe. You're safe. They won't get us."

I said that too soon.

As soon as the words slipped out of my mouth, several flashlights shone in my eyes. "Fabian Rutter?" the deep voice declared.

I could feel Nina shift. She plucked her face up and gasped. I looked at the man. He was pretty tall, with blue eyes and blonde hair. He had pearly white teeth, and had a medicine bag strapped across his waist.

He was exactly as Nina described him. And now he was in front of me. Nina called out his name, and it just confirmed it.

The dead Jerome Clarke was standing in front of me.

**Haha. Yeah, there's um that.**

**So, I hoped you liked it. I know the Fabian POV thing was really bad. I swear I could do better, but I just feel like this story should be in Nina's Point of View. Anyways, I could try again if you want but….**

**I want to let you guys know, how much love I've gotten here. I've gotten so many views it's fantastic! I can't wait until the finale parts tomorrow; I hope you guys are excited.**

**Anyways, see ya then!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey Guys!**

**This is in Nina's POV again. I will post two more chapters tonight, to finish off this story. **

**There are some things in this that are irrelevant, just saying. They are important but not like it will come in the next chapter or anything they are just memories.**

**Enjoy!**

**Oh there is guns and violence, just saying.**

**Enjoy!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**

Nina POV

Fabian and I were handcuffed, as we were dragged away to our deaths. They wrapped ropes around our feet as well, and placed a bag over our heads.

I could hear Fabian's breathing hitch, a sign that he's nervous and terrified. I fiddled with my fingers, trying to find a way out, but all that was on my mind was Jerome.

He was dead, executed they said it. I believed it. They how was he here? Did they fake his death? Was it to trick us? Are they forcing him to help them? Did someone on the inside help him like how he helped me? Is he pretending to find me? Is he pretending for Mara and Jennifer? Is this is all a dream?

These questions came with no answers and I was obviously not provided with any.

I could feel them push us into a door, and the doors slide shut. I could only hear one set of feet. I tentatively whispered, "Fabian?"

We were pushed upwards, and the speed knocked me against the back wall. I could feel my head thumping as my blood boiled. I felt my body vibrating against the cold walls. I could tell it was metal, and I knew the other person in the elevator was still standing.

I gritted my teeth as the box I was in stopped. I could feel someone grab me and pull me up. I elbowed them several times, until the person threatened, "You do that again, Princess, you'll be getting worse punishment than your buddy is."

I whimpered, as I thought of Fabian on the floor somewhere getting tortured, not even knowing who was killing him came into my mind.

I was thrown into a room somewhere, and I could feel my handcuffs loosen. I ripped them off, before I pulled the bag of my head. I began to untie the ropes around my ankles. I ran to the door and shook the knob.

"I wouldn't bother," a voice recommended. I slowly turned around to see Jerome in a lab coat, exactly how he was on the day of my test. "The door can't be opened unless administered."

"Well you guys have been planning this for a while," I commented.

"Oh, yes," he confirmed. He leaned against the counter, "Oh, yeah for months."

"How?" I questioned. "You didn't know I was a Chosen until a month ago."

"Oh, same old Nina, always was underestimating The Council, weren't you? We've known for a while Nina. We've been planning your execution. We didn't expect that husband to develop real feelings for you, but we got over that. It just made it harder for you. You had a shield Nina, but he had too many dents in him." He walked closer, "I thought I always told you this government was too powerful to be stopped."

"No," I stated, "you were the one who told me to take it down."

He chuckled, "Oh, yes, silly me. I was thinking about you." He walked closer, "What happened to that girl?"

"You left," I told him, "and it showed how weak it was. How fragile it was, how one person could take it down."

"Now when did I say that exactly?" he asked.

"When you said I was a Chosen," I replied. "And when you assigned Fabian Rutter as my husband."

He smiled, "Oh, yes, I wouldn't say that was a wonderful idea." Jerome was now right in front of me, "He really loves you, you know? But of course, how could he love a rebel? A girl who could only kill him? A girl who is like his father, a betrayer and a liar? How long did it take you to tell him? Notice how right after you told him, he took off, forgetting all about you. I don't think that's really a coincidence Nina, I think he realized how many lies there were and he ran."

Tears ran down my cheeks. "That's not true," I said. "No, Fabian would never do that to me. He loves me."

"Really? Did he say that before or after he found out?" Jerome asked.

I looked down, and I wiped my eyes. My throat burned as I cried, my arms felt weak, I wanted to curl up and cry. Fabian loves me. I was starting to love him. He was the greatest creature to ever walk this earth. He was a fighter; he made me a better person. He taught me how to love and care for someone. He showed me that there were people bigger than you, and people worth living for. That you don't have to do everything alone. He showed me a better life. He made me excited to wake up in the morning. I wanted to be with him forever. I wanted to wake up in his arms daily.

I loved how he looked at me. I loved how he protected me. How he was never angry with me when I messed up. How he understood everything I went through. How I could look into his concrete blue eyes and I would be in peace. How he would do anything for me.

I loved Fabian.

I didn't realize I was in the chair, until Jerome looked at me and said, "Who could love you? You kill everyone you love." He didn't strap me in, so I took this as my chance. He grabbed my tiny fists in his clammy hands and said, "Don't."

He was right though. Even though I loved Jerome, I had gotten him killed. I had killed the real, pure Jerome. Even if it all was a trick, I had him killed.

I kept muttering, "It's not true" even though it was.

I killed Jerome.

Now I'm going to kill Fabian.

Jerome tapped on the door three times, a pause between the first and the second. He body was right in front in, his figure blocking the glass.

The knob turned, and Jerome stepped out. "I'm going to need the 'special' tools for our guest."

The door closed, and only Jerome and I were left in the room.

"Jerome, what happened? They said you died," I told him.

"Nina, haven't you understood? I've been working with the government to capture you. They made sure you heard that I was dead. You think Rutter's idea under the tree cut it? They saw you, Nina, but they told the troops not to attack. I was a part of the team, Nina. I knew how you acted, and I knew everything about you. I was their greatest ally."

"Why?" I asked him, begging. "Why would you do that to me? I thought you loved me like your sister. You always said that, Jerome. You always tried to protect me as a child-"

"I was a child myself, Nina, I didn't realize the capability of the government, how much luxury they gave. How wonderful they were. I didn't understand."

"When did it change? When did you decide to help hunt me?"

He whispered, after some silence, "When they threatened Mara and Jennifer."

I opened my mouth to respond, when the door knocked, using the same signal Jerome had used. Jerome opened the door, and took a bag from the guard.

The guard was a few inches shorter than Jerome. He looked at me with hateful eyes. I looked down, and I saw. There was a bandage around his left foot.

He was the man I had hit with the knife that struck Fabian's arm two nights ago.

Jerome came closer, and pulled a single hypodermic needle out of the bag. It was already filled with a clear liquid. Jerome tapped it four times, before he held it out towards me, the needle ready to pierce my skin.

For a moment there, I saw the old Jerome. I saw the shy, funny, friendly, brown haired boy who used to talk to me about he wanted to rule the world, while standing on our favorite rock, to make him a foot taller. I saw the guy who would carry me home, when Daisy Dollers used to chuck rocks at me. I saw the boy who used to laugh at me, because I couldn't make puppy dog eyes.

I saw my best friend.

As soon as the needle was right on top of my skin, I punched him in the gut. He flew backwards, and I grabbed the needle. I got out of the chair, and got close to him.

"Nina," he warned, as I dug the needle into his arm, and pressed down on the plunger. Tears fell, as I saw my best friend on the ground, unconscious, and a needle in my hair, that was lightly soaked with some of his blood. I ripped off my cuffs and pressed them where I had placed the needle, and kept it there for two minutes.

I got up, praying that he would be alive, and I knocked on the door three times like Jerome had. I was up on my tippy-toes that way my blonde hair was seen, just like Jerome did.

The guard turned the knob, and stepped in, until I kicked him in the gut. He doubled over and I clawed on his back, and jumped on him. He fell to the ground before shaking me off.

I laid on the ground, as he got up and pulled out a gun. I moved to his foot, and I applied pressure where the bandage was. The man screamed in agony, and dropped his gun. I got up, before running out the door, his gun in my hand.

I pressed myself to a wall, as a siren went off and red lights flashed all around me. I could hear footsteps pound down the hall. I ran across, to the other side, as the bullets whooshed around me.

There was someone right behind me, and I could hear them click off the safety. I turned around, and pulled the trigger, and I saw the person stagger backwards, gripping their arm.

I ran towards a door, and pushed it open, and I found a set of stairs. I climbed, knowing that they would keep Fabian at the top of the building, because that's where all The Council Members would be.

I vigorously climbed upwards, my legs were burning, and the set of stairs seemed to keep lingering on and on.

I heard the doors below me open again. I looked down to see at least five men; all carrying weapons begin to climb. I kept going upwards. The door was at least twenty feet above me, but the men were gaining on me.

_One, two,_ I counted. _One, two._

I was about five feet from the door when the bullet struck me in the shoulder. I screamed, and fell and the calls of victory were so close to me. I began to crawl to the door, when someone lifted me up, digging the bullet deeper into my body. I yelled and hollered, but then they did something strange.

They carried me to the door.

Someone pushed it open, and they dropped me on the ground like a rag doll. I curled up, and protected myself, my eyes shut.

When I opened them, bandages covered her head, but her eyes were as devilish as ever.

"Hello Nina," Madam Snake greeted in front of her posse, "I told you I keep promises."

**So, I hoped you like it!**

**See you in a few hours!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey Guys,**

**So this is the first part of the finale. It is pretty intense. There is guns and blood, telling you.**

**So, um.. here is the thing. You guys all love this, and the idea, but I must be honest. This is for a Challenge. Fashionablyobsessed came up with this idea of Perfection but I twisted around with it.**

**I love you guys and I feel like I'm lying to you if you continue to believe this is all me.**

**I understand if your betrayed, I would be too.**

**Enjoy!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**

"Nice to see you to," I muttered back to Her Highness.

"I'd be lying if I said I was the most excited person to see you," she admitted. She grabbed my arm, and threw me backwards, and I saw Fabian against a wall, screaming my name. There were cuffs around his ankles and arms, mainly made of rope. There was blood on his face, and a long gash on his stomach. He repeatedly called my name, resulting in him gritting his teeth as a shock ran through his body.

"Stop it! Stop!" I screamed, to the woman in a black coat, who was holding a button. "Please! It was all me, let him go! Kill me, and I wouldn't care! Just let him go!" I watched as they pushed the button again. "Please!"

"You should never defy The Council, Nina," advised the woman in black. She turned around to reveal radish hair, and mischievous green eyes. "It only hurts those closest." Her voice was the same one that told The Council Members at our house to wait, before they left.

She was the leader.

Her pointy hand lingered near the button once more, and I saw Fabian shaking. His body was drenched in sweat, and his eyes were shut tight. I saw him mouthing words, but it was incoherent to me. All I saw was that gash on his stomach. It was deep; I could even see his bone, slightly.

"Just let him go," I begged.

"Oh, sweetie," the leader cooed. She reached down to my height on the ground and stroked my cheek. I turned away but she continued talking, "There's no need to get upset. You knew the collateral damage, but you just didn't want to face it."

She stood up and walked towards the other members. "But here we have a law, so we'll give you a trial." She sat down in her throne, in the center amongst the other members. She sat straight and said, "You have no legal defender, so you'll will have to attempt to defend yourselves.

"May the battle, begin."

Fabian was immediately released, and he took the time to rub his wrists, and limp over to where I stood.

I wrapped my arms around him, and I took him in. He embraced me, his fragile body still enough to make me feel safe, even though every gun was pointed towards my head.

"Eh-hm," a voice cleared their throat. We pulled away, and we were two feet apart, until I reached over and grabbed his hand. He smiled at me and intertwined our fingers.

"This court is under order by the power of The Council, and are here to present the cases of the actions of Mrs. Nina Martin Rutter, age fifteen, and Mr. Fabian Joseph Rutter, age fifteen. These two are taken under custody for the illegal actions of rebellion, defiance of The Council, and the charges of entering restricted wildlife, and for Mr. Fabian Joseph Rutter alone, the act of lying under oath and for Mrs. Nina Martin Rutter, for continuing to use the resources of The Council, and causing a malfunction throughout the system. We will begin with the Prosecution, please begin with your opening statement." A ninety-year-old man read, on the side of the table.

"Nina Rutter and Fabian Rutter will be given punishment and we will prove that their actions pose a serious threat to our government and that their execution is only necessary to get rid of this imperfection," the short Council Member stated.

I shivered.

_Imperfection._

Like we were the little smudges on the corner of your mirror, an imperfection. An accident.

We're not accidents.

"You may begin," Madam Sarah told us.

I began to stutter, until Fabian squeezed my hand. I smiled a final smile at him, and said, "We shouldn't be killed. This government is unfair. It is cruel. It causes deaths and heartbreaks. It makes decisions for you. It ruins life. We were all born perfect; we were all born to show mistakes, to give our lives a challenge. Without any mistakes, we're all the same. Being the same is showing a weakness. Anyone takes down one, and then everything goes down. This government controls you, and it shows you no mercy. It makes you feel like you have to, that if you don't you'll die. It gives you someone to love, and then they rip him or her away. They cause you broken hearts, and that causes you misery-an imperfection. Then they act like everything's normal, and they convince. But there's always a tugging at you, telling you to remember what they did. How you felt. How they broke you, so hard you were like a china doll, broken and then they fix you, only to live with the feeling of falling.

"All we did was try to save everyone else from the heartbreak that they would have to endure. We were saving ourselves, and everyone else. I was born to be an ImPerfect and a Perfect. I was born to represent what we should be. I was created as a symbol. You could never find me, because I had such a will to win. I had so many levels, yet I found something to bring me to the ground floor." I looked up at Fabian, "Don't kill us. All we ever did was try to save this world. You made us run; you gave us a reason to fight. We fought for everyone else, we just didn't know.

"And I think somewhere along the way, we fought for each other," I concluded. I saw Fabian smile, and I was ready to kiss him right there, until the paddle connected with the wood of the table.

We looked forward, where the leader was sitting, staring at us with a strong face. "Very touching, but the evidence is too strong. You both have been sentenced to death."

I gasped, and I squeezed Fabian's hand tightly. But they weren't done.

A man, whose voice I recognized from a few nights ago, spoke, "Nina Martin Rutter, you have been sentenced to public execution. It is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, in the market.

"For Fabian Joseph Rutter, you are sentenced to death my indefinite pain."

I understood a second too late.

A guard leaped forward, and struck his knife exactly where Fabian's old wound was. He screamed so loud, the soundproof rooms even couldn't contain it. I fell to my knees, where he was lying on the ground. I held his hand, and stroked his hair. "You're ok," I whispered. "You'll be fine. Ok? Just stay awake. Ok? Just keep your eyes open," I told him.

"Nina, you and I both know-"

"No!" I scolded. "No, don't say that. We didn't make it home, we didn't figure out what you were. We didn't…" I stopped. "We didn't say we loved each other for the first time."

He smiled, "I love you Nina Martin."

"Rutter," I corrected. "As much as I hate this stupid government, that's the one thing I will agree with them on."

He fixed his statement, "I love you Nina Martin Rutter."

"I love you Fabian Joseph Rutter," I promised, "forever."

I kissed him, his lips already getting cold. I leaned onto his chest, and listened to his chest. I could feel him close his eyes, and put his good hand into my hair. I lifted my head a little, to tell him to stay awake, when someone pulled me away from his body.

I screamed, and I thrashed, and I saw them drag Fabian away. He was really unconscious now; his concrete eyes were hidden from me.

Possibly forever.

"You really thought that would be it, sweetie?" the guard whispered in my ear.

I screamed again, and I elbowed him several times. He brought me to a room, and just as he used one hand to open the knob, I kicked him in the femur, and I elbowed his free side.

He howled, and held tighter, but his gun was on his free side. I ripped it from its restraints, and I pulled the safety, and pushed away from him.

He held up his hands, and I held the gun out, ready to shoot, my finger on the trigger.

I nodded towards the door behind him, and walked backwards slowly. He tapped on the door four times, while I stood behind him, the gun pressed to his back.

Someone opened the door, and I hit the guard who I had held at gunpoint, in the back of the head. I hit the person who opened the door as well.

I began to fire a few bullets, and cries of fear sprung in the air. I saw four Council Members on the ground, and I bellowed, "Where is he?"

One of the male members pointed me to the door across the room. I ran to it, and I jiggled the doorknob. I shot at the locked door, and I kicked it open.

"Fabian!" I yelled to the man, bleeding profoundly on the white sheets. I went to him, dropping my gun, and clasping his hand.

"Nina?" he asked.

"I'm here, I'm here," I confirmed, pushing some hair out his face. "They're not coming for us, Fabian. We're going to get out, ok? Just please, please stay," I begged, before the sobs shook me. "Please, Fabian, please."

"Nina," he said. I leaned on him, and I held our intertwined hands out, as I buried my face into his neck. Even through the smell of blood, the aroma of fresh books and the ocean was still there. "Nina."

I looked into his concrete eyes, and said with all my love, "I love you."

The door burst open the next second. The leader of The Council came in, and pulled me away from him. I screamed, and she slapped me across the cheek.

"Nina!" I heard Fabian yell.

As I lay on the ground, I saw her inch closer, "I warned you."

My gun was in her hand, and she teased me with the safety. She repetitively clicked it on and off, and I cowered before her. I saw Fabian try to get up, and punch her in the back, but his injuries were far too severe.

She pushed the safety button off one more time. Her finger was on the trigger, and she said, "See you next century, Chosen."

Before the bullet could hit my skin though, she collapsed her cold body inches from mine.

And Jerome Clarke standing by the door, his gun smoking.

**So I hoped you liked it!**

**The final chapter will be up by tonight, just in time for the deadline.**

**I hope you guys like this story.**

**See ya!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~ **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey Guys!**

**This is it, the final chapter! I hope you enjoy and thanks for everything!**

**Enjoy!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**

"Jerome?" I asked, standing up. He shot two more bullets at her, until I put my hand on his, and I lowered the gun. "It's over. She won't hurt them now."

The silence ensured, until a groan rippled in the air. "Fabian!"

I went to his side, until Jerome pulled me back. He opened a drawer on the side table, and began to pull of medical supplies. He first did all of the minor injuries, like the scratches he obtained, before doing his stomach.

When Fabian became Jerome's new patient, I stood guard at the door, despite Jerome's protests that no one was out there.

"I killed them," he stated, while he applied antiseptic. "I came in here, looking for you, and they saw the gun in my hand, and they all ran for cover. One of the members came out and said I was loyal. They all came out, and he commented that if I wasn't my wife and child would be dead by now." He took a deep breath. "I got angry, and I shot him in the chest. Then I killed everyone else."

"You came back for me?" I asked.

"I've always wanted to help you, Nina, I just didn't know how," he replied honestly.

Had he not been saving the love of my life, I would have hugged him.

Once Jerome finished with Fabian's stomach, he inspected Fabian's arm wound. "Dear God," he said.

"What?" I questioned, already moving away from my position as guard.

Jerome looked at me. "It's getting seriously infected. Plus, it's way too deep. We're going to need the special meds."

"Ok, so where is it?" I asked him.

He looked at me. "It's outside."

I was about to ask him what's so scary about that, until the gunshots rang out. I pressed my back to the door. "There's more?" I screamed at him.

"The guards don't know they're dead, yet," he shouted. "You're still the enemy."

The shots rang louder, and the booms were shaking the ground. "They're going to see the bodies!" I yelled to him.

"But the leader's is in here!" he stated.

I shivered, as I realized I was a mere five feet away from a cold, dead corpse. "So what do we do?"

He shivered himself, the idea seeming to haunt him. "We have to go outside."

"Are you insane?" I bellowed, as a bullet struck the door.

"I'm still an ally," he explained. "I can say I captured you, we can get the medicine for Fabian, and run back in here."

"Then how do we get out?" I questioned him.

"We'll them it was the leader's orders. That he had to be executed with you in public tomorrow, and to put him through even worse pain, they decided they would fix him up, and then kill him. We can get him ready, and say the leader's downstairs. Then we can run for it."

"Fabian can't run," I stated.

"I can carry him," Jerome offered.

"Yeah, like five feet. I've seen you lift heavy things. No offence, Fabian."

Jerome stood right in front of me, his blue eyes staring daggers at my emerald green ones. "That was an old Jerome, in case you haven't noticed."

My breathing hitched, and the sound of bullets ricocheting against the door brought me back to the real world. I nodded, and Jerome helped Fabian up. He put one arm around his neck, and I came around, and placed one arm around his waist. Fabian's wrapped around my waist as well, and if we weren't about to die, I would have said it was a picturesque moment.

Jerome let go of Fabian, and went to the door, his hand on the knob. "Ready?" he asked.

Fabian nodded, but I said, "Wait."

The two men turned to me, but I just looked at one. I wrapped my other arm around his neck, and kissed him as hard as I could. I could feel his lips smile, and his arm tighten around me.

"Alright, Nina, I get the point, you can be loved, now can we go?" Jerome whined, as Fabian and I separated.

"I love you," I told my husband, ignoring Jerome.

"I love you," he told me, his concrete blue eyes boring into mine.

"Ok, yes, I love you guys too, can we go?" Jerome begged.

"Yes," I said.

He twisted to knob, and we were meet to the sight of at least seven men holding out guns in our direction.

Jerome stepped forward, and raised both his hands up. I raised one, the other around Fabian's waist. Fabian's lightly held up his bad arm, but no one bothered to tell him.

"I am Jerome Beatrice Clarke," he began and I could see a few of them stifle their giggles. Jerome glared at them, before he continued, "I am an ally to The Council. I am a doctor. These two are sentenced to public execution tomorrow. The leader wants them both cleaned up, so they can be publicly tortured."

"If you are saying the truth," one of them started, "then what is the name of the leader of The Council?"

Jerome didn't hesitate before answering, "Beatrice."

I gasped. Jerome turned around and looked at me, right in the eye, "My mother."

The guns were put down, and we lowered our hands.

Jerome cautiously moved to the right, where a large black bag was, and he opened it. We laid Fabian on the ground, and Jerome pressed a needle into his skin and pushed down on the plunger. Fabian immediately sighed, and I hugged him tight.

I laid out my leg, like Jerome told me to, and he stuck another needle into my skin. He pushed down again, and I sighed loudly. My leg felt flexible again. I could feel the infection leaving and the skin healing itself.

"Hey, boss," one of the men with guns, said. "Take a look."

Jerome went pale, and I couldn't see anything because they were behind me. "We have to go. Now." He yanked on the bag, and Fabian and I leaped up, strength surging through us. We ran to the door when someone yelled, "She's dead!" before the shots fired around us.

We pushed open the door, and we scrambled out. We flew down steps, bullets ricocheting and surrounding us. Jerome fired a few times, with a gun he salvaged from the room, but it did nothing

We got to the bottom floor, and were outside when Jerome yelled, "Nina!"

I turned around and was pushed aside, as Jerome groaned.

"No!" I screamed. I grabbed the gun in my best friend's hands and I began to shoot. The bullets hit all of them, and I dropped the gun, and placed my fingers on Jerome's neck.

"Nina…."

"Shh, shh, you're ok. It's fine," I told him, tears running down my face.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her," he whispered. "I didn't know 'til after the test."

He gasped, and coughed. "Mara, and Jennifer…."

"I'll take care of them," I promised, "I'll protect them as long as I can."

"My mom was wrong," he said. "Loved ones make you stronger. She told me her famous quote when she first met me, as a reason for throwing me to that place."

"That's awful," I commented.

"It wasn't completely awful," he replied. "I mean, I met you. You changed my life."

I looked at Fabian briefly, before turning back to him. "Yeah, I've been told to have that effect on people."

He laughed, "Tell Mara I love her ok?"

I nodded.

"When Jennifer's old enough, tell her. About everything. What I did, what I wished I could, tell her. Say I love her and that I'm sorry."

I nodded again.

"I'm sorry, Nina."

"Don't apologize," I begged him, "You never have."

"What do I have to lose?" he asked, bitterly.

It was silent for a minute, before he called out, "Fabian?"

Fabian stepped forward, and sat in front of the dying man.

"Take care of her," Jerome told him. "She's a handful."

Fabian chuckled, before looking at me. "She sure is."

"Love her with all you got, or else my ghost will haunt you," Jerome threatened.

"Jerome, can I ask you for permission? To be with Nina?" Fabian asked, nervously.

Jerome laughed, "Yes. You get full permission."

Fabian smiled, before he looked back at Jerome with a sad face. "I'm sorry I didn't get to know you better."

"Not you fault," Jerome gasped.

There was about thirty more seconds, until Jerome said his final word, "Sorry."

Then he closed his eyes, and it he looked like he could have been sleeping.

And I buried my head in Fabian's shoulder, my hands stained with my best friend's blood.

Epilogue

(5 Years Later)

"Jerome! Jerome, slow down!" Fabian yelled, as my husband and son flew into our house.

"No! Face it Dad, you're too slow!" Jerome teased.

The four year old ran upstairs, while my husband came in panting. I chuckled and he looked at me. "Not you too."

I raised my hands in defense. "You could have beaten him, I'm sure."

"That kid runs fast," Fabian protested. "Did old Jerome use to?"

I nodded. After four years, I could start talking about Jerome without crying. "I saw Mara."

"How is she?" Fabian asked.

"Good, her hospital's gotten pretty busy though, she wants us to take care of Jenny."

"Sure," Fabian agreed, "When?"

"Tomorrow," I informed.

"Ok," he confirmed.

"Now go wash up, I'm not letting you in here all messy and gross!"

He kissed my cheek, before exiting.

I leaned on the counter, and thought about everything. The Council was gone, and I was the leader of the new government that included everybody. I was like the president, as one of the e-papers stated.

President Nina.

It had a nice ring to it.

Just like the one around my finger.

**There! Done! I would like to thank you guys for the amount of support I've gotten for this fanfic, it was so much fun!**

**Thank you for everything! I love you guys!**

**~IfWritersCouldSpeak~**


End file.
